Kenneth Branagh Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace

According to The Huffington Post, Kenneth Branagh was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, November 8th at Buckingham Palace for his services to drama and the community of Northern Ireland.

When the knighthood was announced during the Queen's Birthday Honours on June 15, Branagh told the BBC: "I feel very humble about it…In the jubilee year, I'm sure anybody else that's had the good fortune to be recognized would feel as I do. Very, very special."

Branagh was recently nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn. A celebrated Shakespeare actor, he has appeared in Renaissance Theatre Company's Hamlet in 1988, played opposite Emma Thompson in Renaissance's Look Back in Anger, and later as Richard III in a Sheffield production.

He also starred in the Royal National Theatre's Edmond and directed The Play What I Wrote for Broadway in 2003. In 2008, Branagh appeared in the West End's Ivanov revival. Branagh has also appeared on television in the series Wallander, and in many film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays.